Shoe-display form.



J. K. GAINES, DEGD. A w. a 11. w. GAINES, nxnou'rons.

SHOE DISPLAY FORM.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 16. 1911.

Patented Nov. 5, 1912.

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WIT/V 1 K INVENTOR By W g I W Azzomeyd COLUMBIA FLANOGRAPH 'cowAiumu-rou, D" c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOSEPH K. GAINES, OF GLEN ECH O HEIGHTS, MARYLAND; ALIdE W. GAINES ANDHOWARD W. GAINES EXECUTORS OF SAID JOSEPH K. .GAINES, DECEASED.

SHOE-DISPLAY FORM.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 5, 1912.

Application filed November 16, 1911. Serial No. 660,577.

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, Josnrrr K. GAINES,

hereby declare the following to be a full,

clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enableothers skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use thesame.

My present invention relates to the class of display forms, and moreparticularly to such a form for shoes and is an improvement on the formof like character shown and described in my former Patent No. 550,498dated Nov. 26, 1895. In the said patent several constructions of formsfor keeping the Vamps of shoes expanded, are shown and described. In theconstruction shown as the preferred form, wooden blocks are secured tothe inner sides of the form and two springs are interposed between them.This has been found in a measure, defective, as the construction willadmit of only a comparatively small degree of compression to vary thewidth of form to adapt it to shoes of the very narrow types. The formillustrated in Figs. 5 and 6 of the drawings of said patent shows theemployment of but a single spring of plate metal. This was found to bedefective for the reason that this spring could not be compressed forthe very narrow styles or goods. It will be seen that as the toe portionof the form was compressed the curved or rounded portion of the springbecame less yielding and prevented the further compression of the form.The display form here shown, is designed to remedy these defects andadapt it for use with a much larger number of varying sizes and types ofshoes.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a side perspective view of my improveddisplay form. Fig. 9. is a view of the bottom of the same. Fig. 3 is atransverse sectional view showing the rear spring of the form expanded.Fig. 4 is a like view showing a simpler spring partially compressed.Fig. 5 is a top or plan view. v

In these drawings, A is the body of the display form, composed of felt,cloth, paper or like material, sized and molded to the proper shapewhile moist and permitted to dry as thus formed.

The material is made of such extent at the instep that the two edges onthe bottom meet or slightly overlap, leaving a considerable spacebetween the edges forward of this point. The upper or top portion isjoined or integral at the instep and is divided for- .ward of this pointby a cut Z), forming a triangular opening of the greatest width at thetoe. The cut I) terminates at its instep end in an aperture Z). Thisaperture or opening varies in size, according to the degree ofcompressibility desired, the larger size of opening making the formcapable of yielding more readily and to a greater extent to compression.The walls or edges of this out are not straight but are curvedoutwardly, as shown in the drawings.

Adjacent to the toe a spring C is placed between the two parts of theform and the ends of the spring are bent backward and secured directlyto the sides. The spring shown in the drawing is my preferred form. Oneor two coils may be employed and give a greater capability to the springas the coil makes the spring active throughout a greater degree ofmovement than a spring of the character shown in Fig. 4. Rearwardly ofthis spring, I employ another spring C which is of simple archedconstruction, the lower ends of the same being directly secured to thesides of the form. Inward pressure upon the sides of the form will causethese springs to yield to adapt the formrto a shoe narrower than thenormal size of the form. The spring with one or more coils, as shown inFig. 8, is my preferred form of spring. This arrangement of the cut andsprings enables me to get an outward spring pressure at the toe and fromthat backwardvso far as the form engages the interior of the shoe. Theoutwardly curving sides of the cut in the top of the form also act topermit a greater degree of compression, and thereby enable it to be usedwith much narrower shoes than if the edges of the out were straight, asin my former patent. This will be readily apparent when attention iscalled to the fact that in the form shown in Fig; 2 of the drawing ofthe former patent of the applicant, pressure upon the sides of the formnear the toe portion of the same will close the triangular opening 6 andthat pressure on r the sides near the opposite end of the form will onlycause the rear portion of the sides to swing inward until the blocks 0come in contact. In the form shown in Fig. 5 of the said patent, theopening in the top can be closed only to a like extent.

In the construct-ion shown in this case, pressure on the sides near thetoe will bring the sides of the cut I) together at the toe, whilepressure on the sides near therear of the form will cause such sides toswing inwardly and as the upper side of the form is of an invertedcurved shape, the outwardly curved sides of the cut I) enable the formsides to swing inwardly much closer together than in the forms shown inthe earlier patent and enable it to be used with very narrow shoes.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is A shoe displayform consisting of a hollow main body open at the bottom and dividedupon the top by a triangular opening extending from the instep to thetoe, the wider part of the opening separating the two toe portions, theedges of the opening being of outwardly curving shape, a springinterposed between the toe portions operatively in a horizontal planeand an upwardly arching spring near the rear portion of the form.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature, in the presence of twoWitnesses.

J. K. GAINES.

Witnesses:

J. H. WHITAKER, WM. F. DOYLE.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents. Washington, D. C.

